Cash crops

Cash crops play a vital role in the agricultural sector, offering substantial economic benefits. Although they cover a mere 15% of the cultivated land, these crops contribute to over 40% of the agricultural production by value, making them essential for profitability and sustainability.

Cash crops will be helpful for UPSC IAS Exam preparation. GS Paper-3 Indian Economy.

Table of Content

• What are Cash Crops?
• Sugarcane
• Oil Seeds
• Cotton
• Conclusion
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are Cash Crops?

• Definition: Cash Crops are crops which are grown to sell for profit.
• Although cash crops only occupy 15% of the total cropped area in the country, they contribute to over 40% of the agricultural production by value.
• List of cash crops: Sugarcane, cotton, jute, oilseeds, tobacco etc.

Sugarcane

• Sugarcane is a tropical as well as a subtropical crop.
• Sugarcane takesalmost a year to grow.
• It is the main source of sugar, gur (jaggary), khandsari and molasses.
• Top Sugarcane Producing States in India: Uttar Pradesh > Maharashtra > Karnataka > Tamil Nadu > Bihar.
• India is the second largest producer of sugarcane in the world after Brazil.

Climatic Requirements:

• Temperature: between 21°C to 27°C and hot and humid climate.
• Rainfall: between 75cm to 100cm.
• Soil Type: Deep rich loamy soil.

Oil Seeds

• Main oil seeds produced in India are groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum (til), soyabean, castor seeds, cotton seeds, linseed and sunflower.
• Most of these are edible and used as cooking mediums.
  • Some of these are also used as raw material in the production of soap, cosmetics and ointments.
• Top Oilseeds Producing States in India: Madhya Pradesh > Rajasthan > Gujarat > Maharashtra > Uttar Pradesh.
• Groundnut is a kharif crop.
  • It accounts for about half of the major oilseeds produced in India.
• Linseed and mustard are rabi crops.
• Sesamum is a Kharif crop in the north and a rabi crop in south India.
• Castor seed is grown both as a rabi and kharif crop.

Climatic Requirements:

• Temperature: Between 15-30°C
• Rainfall: Around 30-75 cm.
• Soil Type: Loam to clayey loam and well drained sandy loams.

Cotton

• Cotton is a Cash crop and a Kharif crop.
• India is believed to be the original home of the cotton plant.
• It requires 6 to 8 months to mature.
• Cotton is one of the main raw materials for the cotton textile industry.
• Top Cotton Producing States in India: Gujarat > Maharashtra > Telangana > Andhra Pradesh > Rajasthan.

Climatic Requirements:

• Temperature: Between 21-30°C
• Rainfall: Around 50-100cm.
• Soil Type: Well drained black cotton soil of the Deccan Plateau.

BT cotton:

• BT cotton is an insect-resistant transgenic crop designed to combat the attack of Cotton bollworm insects (also known as Heliothis bollworm or pink bollworm).
• It involves the insertion of two genes: ‘Cry1Ab’ and ‘Cry2Bc’ from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into cotton seeds.
• BT cotton remains the only GM crop allowed to be cultivated in India.  

Conclusion

From the tropical growth of sugarcane, the versatile oilseeds with their culinary and industrial applications, to the significance of cotton as a raw material for textiles, cash crops encompass a diverse range of profitable opportunities. Additionally, the introduction of BT cotton as a genetically modified crop demonstrates the continuous innovation in this sector, allowing farmers to combat specific challenges while adhering to regulatory guidelines.

Ref: Source-1

Other Articles in Economy
Plantation Crops	Privatization of Government Sector
Minimum Support Price (MSP) in India	National Income of India
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)	E-Commerce

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)